


Sorry Tally

by Dark_and_night



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins Movies), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Cooking Lessons, One Shot, Other, cooking together, he may be a cannibal but he also knows his mental stuffs, why date hannibal if you're not going to get free therapy out of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22457902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_and_night/pseuds/Dark_and_night
Summary: Hannibal points out something you do a little too often.
Relationships: Hannibal Lecter/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 136





	Sorry Tally

“What’s that?” You asked as you walked into the kitchen one afternoon. There was a sheet of paper stuck to the fridge doors, covered in tally marks.

Hannibal’s lip curled up into a half-smile. “Oh, you noticed?” He walked over to the sheet, rapping it with his knuckles. “I’ve decided to keep a tally of every time you say the word ‘sorry.’”

You opened your mouth to reply, only to have the reply be delayed, as you had no idea how to react. Finally you settled on, “Seriously? Why?”

Hannibal crossed his arms, smirking. “Because.”

“Hannibal.” You said in a warning tone, trying and failing to seem commanding in the presence of a literal cannibal.

“I think you apologize because your parents used guilt as a manipulation tactic while you were growing up.” He explained. “So, I’m trying to help you see how often you say ‘sorry,’ even if you don’t have any reason to apologize.” He pointed back at the paper again. “I tallied up as many as I could remember over just the last two weeks alone.”

You looked from him back to the sheet before laughing. “There over thirty tallies on there!” You said, amazed at yourself. “Oh god, do I really do it that much?”

Hannibal laughed with you, and finally your mind calmed down a bit. You didn’t exactly like knowing how often you apologized, but looking at the tally sheet, it was a ridiculous number of apologies in the span of two weeks.

Hannibal smiled at your laughter, pouring you a glass of water and handing it to you. “Here.” He said.

You smiled to yourself as you drank the water, warm happiness spreading through you, starting at your cheeks and ending at your fingertips. You were probably blushing, but you didn’t care. Hannibal could read you like a book with or without you attempting to hide your emotions, so why bother hiding?

You leaned forward, gently holding onto his shirt, resting your head on his shoulder. “You’re the only home I have left.”

Hannibal gently pet the back of your head, enjoying the feeling of having you so close and so vulnerable to him. “That means a lot.”

“Sorry if that was too big a proclamation.” You giggled, pulling back.

He chuckled, pointing to the chart behind him. “Put another tally on.”

You groaned out something akin to a laugh. You’d forgotten about that stupid chart. “No fair, what am I supposed to say?”

“Hm.” Hannibal smirked as he handed you a pencil, looking incredibly smug as you added another tally. “Why don’t you try saying ‘thank you?’”

“‘Thank you?’” You repeated.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled, proud of his joke. You laughed politely as he continued. “Yes, thank you. Instead of ‘sorry,’ say ‘thank you for respecting my boundaries.’”

“You sound like a school counselor.” You said, leaning on the counter.

“I was a therapist, after all.” He shrugged. “Next time you want to apologize, just try it.”

Breathing air out of your nose, you gave him a smile. “Okay.” You said. “I’ll try it next time.”

He nodded. “Anyway, I thought I’d make you homemade sushi for lunch today. Well.” He glanced at the clock. “Probably more like dinner.”

“You don’t have to do that.” You said.

“I want to.” He replied, already getting ingredients out of the refrigerator.

You couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “What kind of fish are you going to use?”

He held up the bag. “Crab, salmon, and shrimp.”

“I’m going to help you.” You insisted, rolling up your sleeves.

He looked over his shoulder, smiling at you. “Very well. Can you start cutting up everything into small pieces?”

You pulled out the cutting board and did as he instructed while he worked with the rice. The two of you worked in silence for a while, nothing but the sounds of the knife cutting through vegetables and the babble of boiling water. It was a nice sort of silence, a warm silence, where the sounds of your cooking and cutting were the only thing filling the empty air between you.

When the rice was finished Hannibal laid out a sheet of seaweed over a bamboo sheet, explaining to you how the rice would be laid out on it, and where the crab and veggies would go before he rolled it up. He was a surprisingly good and patient teacher.

You watched in awe as Hannibal expertly rolled up the sushi, wetting his finger and dragging it over where the seaweed ended, so that it stuck to itself. The roll looked expertly done, and you caught him smiling at his good work.

“You should work at a sushi restaurant.” You joked as he started to cut the roll into pieces.

He grinned more at the compliment. “I was actually thinking of getting a new job one of these days, but honestly I have no clue what I would do outside of my field. It would be far too easy to catch me if I tried to get a position like I had before.”

He pulled out another sheet of seaweed, this roll going to have the shrimp in it. “What do you mean?” You asked

“What kind of job would suit someone like me outside of psychiatry?” He elaborated.

“Politician.” You said without having to think about it.

Hannibal blew air out of his nose as he arranged the vegetables. “Maybe. As you are well aware of, my face is a bit too known for that.”

You smiled and shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with him.

You grew silent once more as he rolled the next sushi up, again tracing a damp finger along the edge of the seaweed. It was mesmerizing.

“What about a history professor?” You spoke out loud as the idea crossed your mind.

Hannibal glanced over at you before cutting the roll up. “History professor?”

“It kind of fits your whole aesthetic.” You explained. “I can see you teaching.”

He finished cutting his roll, humming softly in thought. “A history professor.” He sat the knife by the sink. “I think I like it.” He smiled as he plated the sushi. “And we’re done.”

Pride filled your chest as you took your plate. You had helped make this. You grinned, taking your plate to the table, sitting down. “My back is actually kind of sore from standing around and cutting things.” You said.

“Well, it did take two hours.” Hannibal said, sitting beside you.

“No way!” You exclaimed, looking at the clock. He was right. “Man, I have a newfound respect for the professionals. At the sushi place I go to, they have my order out in about fifteen minutes. I guess they might prep the vegetables ahead of time, but still.”

“Well hopefully ours tastes just as good.” Hannibal picked up a piece, eating it in one bite.

You giggled softly, picking up your own piece. “It will no matter what. Thank you for making this with me.”


End file.
